La Mort et ses Merveilles ✔

25. Tancred de Hauteville

"Don't you get lonely sitting all alone?" Bradley asked, leaning into the pickup. "Didn't think Leslie would leave you out of introducing you to the rest of them."

"I never really overcame my fear of meeting strangers," I lied, shaking my head as I drew a smile on my lips. "I'm just fine sitting here alone."

"Boring, don't you think?" the young man said, a large smile on his lips, revealing his teeth. "I see you're not really the social type eh? But I'm sure you'll enjoy today."

I could only smile at him, as he walked away, rounding up everyone. With his arrival, the group was ready to move. I said nothing as Leslie returned to his driver's seat.

"I promise you I'm not going to do anything," he said to me as we trailed behind Bradley and company. "We'll just show our faces and stick around at the back."

"Or we could drive ahead and warn those poor people," I said rather coldly. "But you're not gonna do that aren't you?"

"Look," the young man sighed. "I don't want to do this. When I told you I felt really bad I absolutely meant that. But it's Bradley here we're talking about and it's not easy to say no. You don't know him. You don't know what he's capable of."

I only let out a protracted sigh, shaking my head. Again with the excuses.

"I know you're disappointed," he continued. "And I'm sorry. But I got us into this mess, the very least I could do is not get you involved in the killing."

"So you're just going to accept that the killing and looting is going to happen?" I questioned. "All this when we can do something about it? I don't want innocent people to go through what I did. I don't want more innocent lives to be lost. It's not fair."

There was a short silence, the young man staring ahead at the road. I couldn't tell if he was contemplating what I've just said or he was just concentrating on driving.

"During the brief earlier," the young man finally said after a while. "Bradley told me to head out to the back and set up an ambush. That me and you were supposed to flank and help them close in on the place. So that no one could escape."

"So you want to sabotage that?" I asked.

"Well," the young man replied. "I'm risking it, but we could at least try to save some of those poor souls. Try to get them out or something. I don't know, just -anything, okay? You haven't seen what these guys could do. We'll do what we can alright?"

I couldn't help but give him a slight smile, despite the growing dread in my heart as we approached the destination. Leslie had told me that it was a group of survivors who had barricaded themselves in one part of a small town, just a bit north of Black Hills. They were practically undefended, the thirty or so people there weren't rather well-armed. There were perhaps about half a dozen children, a few families and a few able bodied adults. Leslie said the group predicted it'd be an easy walk in the park. I couldn't help but feel horrible that I was complicit in this crime, that there was nothing I could do to stop these people from a horrible fate.

"We're getting there soon," Leslie said, breaking the silence as we drove. "I'd appreciate it if you could hand me the gun, please."

I nearly jolted from my seat. How did he know?

"What gun?" I blurted out loud. "I don't have it with me."

"You're not very subtle in trying to hide it" he remarked. "I mean, I get it. But it'd be much easier for me if I had it, you know?"

I reached for the gun, nearly taking it out and returning to him. As much as I trusted him, and as much as I knew that he was telling the truth this time, I couldn't help but feel a slight apprehension in my heart. After all, it was during one of these raids that he killed my dad and nearly killed me.

"On second thought," I told him, as I put my hand over my pocket. "I think I'll keep it here with me. Nothing personal."

"Yeah," he replied, after a brief moment of silence. "It's fine. I get it. I can handle myself with a machete. Besides, I think that thing's better off in your hands anyway. You're more responsible than me."

"Yeah," I muttered, as I hovered my hand over the pistol. "I hope so."

"Whatever happens, people are going to die," the young man told me. "Don't blame yourself. At the very least we tried to do something. You can't save everyone."

It's true. It was going to be a bloodbath. People were going to die, and there'd be nothing that I could do. But that wasn't going to stop me from trying to do what was right.

But at least I knew that I had Leslie there with me. And I was glad that he was.